Database: Alcohol Production and Consumption
Islamic law prohibited alcohol consumption because it altered the mind and caused wrongful behavior. It was therefore considered a major sin. However, Abbasid religious scholars discussed the precise scope of this ban. Some interpreted it as a full ban on all alcohol consumption, while others limited it to excessive consumption, public drunkenness, or only to alcohol made from fruits (grapes, dates, etc.), as opposed to mead or beer for example.
In practice, alcohol was nonetheless consumed, as proved by numerous accounts and drinking vessels—including one pictured here whose inscription reads, "Drink! Blessings from God to the owner of the goblet". Alcohol was even a major topic of poetry in a genre of literary works called the khamriyyat, which was dedicated to the praise of wine, intoxication, and the pleasures of the table. These accounts establish that alcohol was consumed at every level of society, including by clergymen and high-level officials. It seems that the issue of alcohol and its prohibition was possibly more focused on public drunkenness (which could lead to police intervention) while there was probably a higher degree of tolerance for drinking in private areas.
The main producers of alcohol seem to have been the non-Muslim members of the Abbasid society. Most of them did not follow the same religious restrictions and brewed or vinified what they consumed. Monasteries were among the most famous winemakers. They were forbidden to sell any of it to their Muslim neighbors, but many stories of inebriated visits to the monks and even bottles sporting representations of priests seem to indicate that the law was not followed by everybody.